The present invention relates to a termiticide distribution system for installation at potential termite entry locations under a concrete foundation slab of a building prior to laying of the foundation, to permit resaturation of the underlying fill dirt with termiticide after the building is constructed.
Although it is now common practice in the construction of new buildings to pretreat the fill or soil area which is to underlie the foundation with a termiticide, the initial termite barrier does not last indefinitely, and there is a need to renew this barrier during the life of the building by efficient and inexpensive means at the points where termites can gain access to wooden structural members. Termites do not bore holes through concrete. However they can gain entry into the areas where wood is used in the construction of the building by forming earthen tunnels within the minute spaces that occur between foundation and slab, and where utility conduits protrude through a slab, because concrete contracts as it cures and hardens. Accordingly there is a continuing need for a installing a permanent termiticide distribution system at these junction areas during the initial construction of a building which will permit reapplication to the underlying fill dirt of termiticide from time to time to renew the termite barrier wherever minute spaces form between foundation and slab and particularly around the places where the utility connections penetrate the slab, where termites are most likely to build their tunnels upward into the building proper.
Heretofore there have been a number of fluid distribution systems for insecticides, comprised of conduit capable of emitting pesticide through apertures or valves, for incorporation in or under a building foundation. A number of these systems are elaborate in construction, requiring extensive modification of traditional and conventional building methods, expensive pumps and reservoirs, and resulting in substantial increases in building costs, as has been previously noted in U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,586 to Meyer et al. Meyer discloses and teaches a distribution system comprising tube means disposed within a building footer constructed of conventional concrete building blocks, requiring additional support members and plate members, among other things, that but for the distribution system, would not be required as part of the footer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,209,485 to Griffin discloses a pesticide distribution system comprised of multiple, independent, branched circuits, to be installed within and under a foundation. The system comprises many parts and installation requires multiple steps at different stages of construction of the building.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,248 to Peacock discloses a distribution system comprised of a plurality of parallel connected pipe branches, each branch thereof short enough so that fluid pressure is maintained along the entire piping, and at least two inlets into each branch. Each branch requires a closure fitting at the end opposite the inlet end. Multiple pumps are required to maintain uniform pressure in the branch lines.
There are a number of related systems for distributing pesticide within the walls of buildings. In the Ramsey patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,949, pipes with emitter nozzles pass through the studs of the walls, with a nozzle disposed between each set of studs. In U.S. Pat to Bridges et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,026, pipes extend within the walls or alternatively, beneath baseboard moldings on the interior walls, permitting injection of insecticide gas within the walls. In Lundwall, U.S. Pat. No. 4,0228,841, an insecticide storage and pressurizing system is installed in the attic and perforated pipes carry pest control fluid into the building walls. In U.S. Pat, No. 4,742,641 to Cretti, a built-in reservoir is installed in within a building wall and pesticide is distributed whenever the pump is operated, which can be done by a timing device for injecting predetermined amounts at predetermined spaced intervals. U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,062 to Carter is another pest control system utilizing pipes installed through holes drilled through the wall studs of a building. The pipes require threaded caps at the distal ends thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,110 to Sims is for method of applying pesticide to the concealed areas of a building, utilizing injection of pressurized chemicals into perforated tubing. A divisional application for a related apparatus was filed by Sims.
None of the foregoing have disclosed a simplified, inexpensive system of delivering pesticide to the critical areas of the fill dirt underlying a concrete slab of a building the installation of which requires no modification of building construction plans or drawings, no drilling of multiple holes through the studs or footers, no expensive pumps, and no special support structures. Additionally, there is no prior art incorporating the concept of equalizing fluid pressure throughout the entire distribution system by simultaneous injection through redundant trunk lines to feed a single emitter line, so as to insure equalized distribution of pesticide to all soil areas adjacent the emitter line, despite possible clogging, breaks or other impediments to flow in either the emitter circuit or the trunk lines. The prior art systems are not quickly installed and can delay construction of a building. Frequently the slab is poured almost immediately after grading of the construction site, and there is a need for a termiticide distribution system that can be installed very quickly on short notice, so that construction can proceed without delays.
None of the foregoing systems focuses on the only areas where termites can possibly get past the slab: the minute spaces formed by contraction of the concrete slab, at its juncture with the foundation and around the utility conduits. The spaces left by contracting cement around the utility connections are particularly susceptible of termite infestation because of the likelihood of water leaks from plumbing lines. At the present time, and surely in the foreseeable future, there are limits imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and other governmental bodies on the amount of toxic insecticides that may be injected into the ground, because of considerations such as contamination of underground fresh water supplies, harmful effects on birds and other wildlife. Accordingly it is desirable to confine the reapplication of a termite barrier to only those points that really need it.
Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a system for treatment of the fill dirt underlying the foundation slab of a building after construction, which can be installed prior to laying the slab, which is easily and quickly installed in approximately thirty minutes or less, which does not require any special supporting structures or substantial modifications of conventional building methods or specifications, which is confines redistribution of termiticide to only those areas where termites can gain entry into the building proper, which ensures equalized distribution of termiticide throughout the system, and which utilizes inexpensive materials.
Another object of this invention is to provide a system which is easily and conveniently injected with termiticide by a pest control service person, at a single injection location in or on the building, preferably outside the building.